The present invention relates to new and improved curable compositions adapted for use as coatings, for example, for wood, metal and plastic substrates; for use in, for example, furniture, kitchen cabinets and panelling; in automobiles, appliances, containers and flooring and in business machines; as adhesives for these substrates; and as binders for paper and textiles and non-wovens. More particularly, it relates to compositions comprising a polymer or polymers having alkyl acrylamidoglycolate functionality and active hydrogen functionality.
It has been suggested that incorporation of acrylamido-N-glycolic acid monomers into polymers or copolymers provides products having good solvent resistance. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,422,139, for example, acrylamido-N-glycolic acid, its alkali metal salts and its alkyl esters, are suggested as reticulation agents for polymers and broadly suggests that the reticulated polymers may be used in coating compositions.
In [copending application,] U.S. application Ser. No. 772,592 filed Sep. 5, 1985 and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,308, a continuation of application Ser. No. 556,077, filed Dec. 1, 1983, now abandoned, and published as EPO 20,000 on Dec. 10, 1980, crosslinkable coating compositions are disclosed comprising a polymer containing at least two activated ester groups per polymer chain and a compound containing at least two primary or secondary amine groups per molecule. The activated ester groups disclosed include alkyl acrylamidoglycolate alkyl ethers and alkyl acrylamidoglycolates. The amine crosslinked coating compositions are generally quite satisfactory, although they tend to be susceptible to yellowing or acid spotting and therefore may not exhibit a resistance to yellowing and acid spotting which may be desired or required in some applications. Moreover, amines are costly and toxic.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide room temperature or low temperature curable compositions which exhibit good solvent resistance and no-formaldehyde evolution upon curing, and which exhibit improved resistance to yellowing and acid spotting under acid attack, which do not require the use of amines.
It is another object of the present invention to provide new and improved curable emulsion and solvent-borne polymeric compositions for use as coatings, adhesives, and as resinous binders for paper and textiles and non-wovens.